Wireless Data Goes Mainstream

In-Stat/MDR has announced the results of a survey that found more than half of the respondents were using one or more Wireless Data services.

With 54 percent of those who responded to the Consumer Mobility Study saying they are currently using some form of Wireless Data services, the market research firm now believes wireless data is no longer a niche phenomenon, but is now a mainstream product.

Not surprisingly, the most frequently used service is SMS, a method for exchanging short text messages. SMS is wildly popular outside of the U.S. but is slowly catching on in this country.

Other popular wireless services include Internet access, downloadable ringtones, and mobile games.

The In-Stat/MDR survey also found that T-Mobile and Nextel customers use more data services than the other wireless carriers. The other major carriers -- Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, and Sprint PCS -- are on a relatively even plane with respect to wireless data adoption.

In addition, the survey shows very few notable differences between the basic demographic characteristics of Wireless Data users and those of non-data users, indicating that mobile data usage is now a mainstream phenomenon across multiple demographic groups. However, the survey showed a greater-than-average adoption of Wireless Data usage among ethnic minorities, particularly Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans.

The full details of the survey are available from the web site for $2,995.

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